Tradition: Austrian Mythology
Alternative Names: Lindworm of Zirl
Category: Dragon
The Myth
The Dragon of Zirl was a gigantic lindworm, a thick and enormously long serpent with the head of a dragon. It had two large ears and hideous, fiery eyes, and its enormous body was said to be capable of writhing among the rocks even when the creature was nearly dead. It lived for centuries inside a cavern called the Hundstall, near the bridge of Zirl on the road to Inzing.
The monster was feared throughout the surrounding country, for it killed and devoured every living creature that came near its territory. During summer, a small stream flowed through the cavern, though in winter it was almost completely dry. The dragon remained hidden in the Hundstall for generations until a sudden spring thaw changed everything.
When the warm weather arrived and the snow began to melt, the little stream became a tremendous torrent. The rushing water undermined the rocky cavern, tearing enormous pieces of rock from the mountain and sweeping the dragon out with them. The torrent burst into the meadow below, carrying the monster and the shattered rocks with it and flooding the surrounding ground. From then on, the place became known as the Dragon Meadow, and the great breach torn into the mountain by the flood could still be seen.
The dragon was found half dead among the rocks, but it was still writhing and struggling with its enormous body. Nobody dared approach the beast. Instead, the people kept their distance and fired cannons at it until it was finally killed.
Even in its dying state, the lindworm was terrifying. It gasped so violently that those watching from afar were frightened simply by the sound, and there was fear that it might still spit venom. Nothing green was said to grow upon the meadow where the dragon died, leaving the place as a lasting reminder of the creature that had once lurked inside the Hundstall.
Sources
Von Günther, Amalia. Tales and Legends of the Tyrol. London: Chapman and Hall, 1874.